JP2002215304A - Touch panel computer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a touch panel computer capable of placing ten-keys at a left-hand side in use by a left-hander, to allow a user to operate the ten-key, without having the hand move by a large amount. SOLUTION: This touch panel computer 11 comprises a liquid crystal panel 12 with a touch panel for touch-input, the tenkeys 13 for data input such as the input of numerical value, and arrow keys for moving a cursor left and right and up and down, a ROM 22 stores a left-hand and right-hand table 30 indicating the corresponding relation of the function of the corresponding tenkey, when the tenkeys 13 and a body 11a are used in a state of being turned 180 degrees, and a CPU 21 executes the corresponding processing of the function of the used tenkeys by reading out the functional information of each tenkey from the left-hand and right-hand table 30, when using the tenkey 13 and the arrows 14 with the body turned by 180 degrees.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a touch panel computer, and more particularly, to a touch panel computer with numeric keys.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, portable information terminals such as personal computers (PCs) and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) have rapidly become widespread. Some of these computers include a transparent tablet and a touch panel device having a display function in order to perform input with a simple operation. In this method, data is input by touching the display screen with a finger or a pen.

Further, an input integrated touch panel computer having a display device with a touch panel and ten keys (hereinafter referred to as ten keys) is also used. Since the numeric keys and arrow keys (cursor keys) are independent, data can be input quickly.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing the appearance of a conventional pen computer provided with a touch panel device with numeric keys. In FIG. 22, 1 is a pen computer main body, 2 is a liquid crystal panel with a touch panel capable of touch input, 3 is a numeric keypad for inputting data such as numerical input, and 4 is an arrow key. By operating the user's hand 5, a quick numerical input can be made with the ten keys 3.

FIG. 14 is a view showing a display example of an application screen of the pen computer. FIG.
And FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of a pull-down menu display on the application screen of the pen computer. FIG. 14 is an example of a display screen of the drawing software. The user touches the display screen with the handwriting pen 6 to perform an operation such as drawing. Further, as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, a more detailed setting can be performed by selecting a pull-down menu using the handwriting pen 6. In the figure, 101 is a tool button group, 102 is a scroll bar, and 103 is a menu bar. In this case, the menu bar 103 includes [File (F)], [Edit (E)], [Color (C)],
[Display (V)] is displayed, and a pull-down menu for [Display (V)] is displayed.

By the way, most of the conventional configurations are premised on use with the right hand, and when a left-handed person operates with the left hand, the display screen is hidden. In order to solve this, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-68888 discloses that the display position of the scroll bar is displayed on the right side of the window by setting whether the user presses the touch panel with the right hand or the left hand. There is disclosed a touch panel device that can change whether to display on the left side. Also, JP-A-11-353070 discloses that
A device that displays a handwritten pen pad corresponding to dominant hand information on a display unit based on dominant hand information of a user is disclosed.

[0007]

However, in such a conventional touch panel device or data input device, the display position is changed and set on the display screen corresponding to a left-handed person. However, when a left-handed person operates a numeric keypad or an arrow key provided outside the device, there is still a problem that the usability is poor.

For example, as shown in FIG. 22, when a left-handed person uses a pen computer with a numeric keypad,
Since the numeric keypad 3 is arranged at the right part, the user touches the numeric keypad 3 in such a manner as to cover the screen 2 with the hand 5, and the screen 2 cannot be seen and the hand 5 has a large amount of movement. is there. In addition, a left-handed person uses a finger or a pen to
When the drawing is edited using the application shown in FIG.
There is a problem that it becomes difficult to use because it is covered.

In general, as shown in FIG. 14, scroll bars 102 that are frequently used while checking the contents of the screen are located on the right and lower sides of the application screen.
In order to move the bar on the right side, almost all windows are covered with hands, and there is a problem that it is difficult to confirm the displayed contents.

Further, as shown in FIG. 23, changing the display position of the pull-down menu depending on the left-handed or right-handed use is not particularly taken into consideration, and the system is difficult to use even when used with either the left hand or the right hand. In particular, as shown in FIG. 24, when menus are nested and displayed, a left-handed person becomes a shadow of the hand when the next menu is displayed to the left of the currently displayed pull-down menu. It becomes hard to see. The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and in the case where a left-handed person uses the touch panel computer, the numeric keypad becomes the dominant hand side, and the touch panel computer can be operated without moving the hand greatly. The purpose is to provide.

[0011]

According to the present invention, there is provided a touch panel computer including a touch panel and a numeric keypad arranged adjacent to a side surface of the touch panel. Storage means for storing the function information of the numeric keypad, and control means for reading out the function information of each numeric keypad from the storage means when using the numeric keypad with the main body upside down and associating the functions of the used numeric keypad And characterized in that:

A touch panel computer according to the present invention comprises a touch panel computer having a touch panel, a numeric keypad disposed adjacent to a side surface of the touch panel, and up, down, left and right cursor keys. Storage means for storing function information of ten keys and up, down, left and right cursor keys, and when using the ten keys or the cursor keys by inverting the main body,
And a control unit for reading function information of each numeric keypad or cursor key from the storage unit and associating the used numeric keypad or cursor key functions.

When the left-handed person uses the left hand, which is the dominant hand, the touch panel computer of the present invention configured as described above has the ten keys and the up, down, left, and right cursor keys on the dominant hand side. It is possible to operate the numeric keypad and the cursor key with the left hand without largely moving.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a touch panel computer according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of a touch panel computer 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
A setting state in which the camera is rotated 180 degrees (upside down) for left-handed use is shown.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 11a denotes a touch panel computer main body.
1a includes a liquid crystal panel 12 with a touch panel capable of touch input, a numeric keypad 13 for inputting data such as numerical values, and arrow keys 14 (up / down / left / right cursor keys) for moving a cursor up / down / left / right. 5 is a hand of a left-handed user.

The liquid crystal panel 12 with a touch panel is an LCD display having a dot matrix configuration in which touch panels capable of touch input are stacked, and the effective portion of the touch panel is equivalent to the entire display portion of the display section. Character input to the touch panel computer 11 is performed by the touch panel in addition to the numeric keypad 13. The display illumination (backlight) is turned on or off as needed.

The numeric keypad 13 is a numeric keypad for quickly inputting numerical values, and is arranged adjacent to the liquid crystal panel 12 with a touch panel on the touch panel computer main body 11a. The key top portion of the numeric keypad 13 can be inserted and removed, and when the touch panel computer main body 11a is used by rotating the touch panel computer 11a by 180 degrees for left-handed use, the key top portion of each numeric keypad is inserted and removed and replaced with a corresponding key position. Note that instead of inserting and removing the key top portion, a corresponding number sticker may be attached to the key top. Alternatively, numbers that are opposite to each other (for example, "5")
And “2 (reverse)” may be printed and stamped in combination. Further, a configuration in which the entire keypad having a numeric keypad is replaced may be employed. This will be described later with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 2 shows the touch panel computer 1.
1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of FIG. 2, a touch panel computer 11 includes a CPU 21 (control unit), a ROM 22 (storage unit), a RAM 23, a display unit 24 having a matrix screen constituted by an LCD, a tablet 25 serving as a touch panel unit of the liquid crystal panel 12 with a touch panel, It comprises a key input unit 26 composed of numeric keys and arrow keys, and an external storage device 27 such as a hard disk drive (HDD).

The CPU 21 is a control unit for controlling the entire apparatus including execution of operation calculation processing such as input / output, and a ROM.
According to the program on 22, various processing such as application processing is executed using a memory storing data used for calculation. Further, according to the program on the ROM 22, the CPU 21 uses the numeric keypad 13 and the arrow key 14 when rotating the main body 180 degrees and using
The function information of each numeric keypad is read out from the OM 22 to perform a process of associating the functions of the numeric keys used.

The ROM 22 is a read-only semiconductor memory for storing fixed data such as programs and control data required when the CPU 21 operates. ROM 22
Stores various tables such as a left-hand / right-hand table (described later with reference to FIG. 3) indicating correspondence of functions of the ten-keys when the ten-key 13 and the main body 11a are used by rotating them by 180 degrees. The RAM 23 is used as a so-called working memory that temporarily stores data related to character display, data used for calculation, calculation results, and the like.
The virtual screen developed by bitmap and display data are stored.

A part of the RAM 23 is an electrically rewritable nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM (electrical
erasable programmable ROM), EEPROM
By changing the program written in M, various specifications in the touch panel computer 11 can be changed. That is, recently, in order to avoid the time loss of changing the mask ROM for each debugging of system development, the program ROM is replaced with a non-volatile memory such as an EP.
ROM and EEPROM are used to greatly reduce the time required for program development and modification. Further, if the program is downloaded and the program content of the EEPROM is rewritten, the function can be easily upgraded or the function can be easily changed.

The display section 24 is composed of an LCD display and can display, for example, an 800 × 600 dot matrix. The tablet 25 is realized by a touch panel, and is capable of detecting an absolute position. In particular, since the tablet 25 and the liquid crystal display are used in combination, the operation can be performed directly with a sense of drawing, which is suitable for detailed operations such as creation of a figure. The key input unit 26 is a key input unit such as the numeric keypad 13 and the up, down, left, and right arrow keys 14, and is installed adjacent to the display unit 24.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the left-hand / right-hand table 30 stored in the ROM 22. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a correspondence relationship between a standard key arrangement of a numeric keypad and an arrow key and a left-hand / right-hand table 30, and FIG. 5 is a view showing the numeric keypad and the arrow keys after the main body is rotated 180 degrees (upside down). FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a correspondence relationship between a key layout and a left-hand / right-hand table 30.

In these figures, numbers B0 to B15
Is a name indicating the absolute position of the numeric keypad and the arrow keys. In the case of the right hand (standard), these numbers B0 to B15
In this order, “0”, “.”,... “Up” are assigned. In the case of the left hand (rotated by 180 degrees), these numbers B0 to B15 are
In this order, “9”, “8”,. For example, the number B0 is assigned “0” for the right hand (standard) and “9” for the left hand (180 degree rotation).

As described above, when the touch panel computer main body 11a has the general ten-key arrangement shown in FIG. 22, the relationship between the "Right" column of the left / right hand table 30 in FIG. 3 and FIG. 1 set for left-handers
In the case of the 80-degree rotation, the relationship between the “Left” column of the left / right hand table 30 in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 is obtained. This is CPU2
1 switches by referring to the left hand / right hand table 30. In the above example, when the B0 key is pressed, “0” is input as shown in FIG. 4 for right-handed use, and “9” is input for left-handed use. become.

The touch panel computer 11
Is rotated 180 degrees, so the numeric keypad 13 and the arrow key 14 need to be designed so that they can be used with the right hand before rotating 180 degrees or with the left hand after rotating 180 degrees. There is. In the present embodiment, the numeric keypad arrangement is changed by inserting and removing the key top portion of the numeric keypad 13 or attaching a sticker or the like to the keytop of each numeric keypad 13. Instead, the following configuration is adopted. It may be something.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a touch panel computer capable of converting the numeric keypad arrangement. The same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals. In FIG.
The touch panel computer main body 31a includes a liquid crystal panel 12 with a touch panel capable of touch input, and a numeric keypad 3 having numeric keys 32 for performing data input such as numerical input.
3. Arrow keys 14 for moving the cursor up, down, left and right
It is comprised including. 40 is a numeric keypad 33
Are electrically connected to each other, and 34 is a claw for attaching and detaching the ten-key pad 33. Numeric pad 33
Is detachably attached to the main body 31a, and after attaching / detaching, the ten-key pad 33 can be rotated by 180 degrees to be mounted on the main body 31a.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the numeric keypad 33. As shown in FIG. Each key B0 of the numeric keypad 32
"0" to B11 "9" are the row wiring 3 of the matrix wiring.
5a to 35d and column wirings 35e to 35g are connected as shown in FIG. For example, when the key B0 “0” is pressed, the row wiring 35d and the column wiring 35e conduct.

FIG. 8 is a view showing the back of the numeric keypad 33. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 8, the matrix wiring 35a
To 35 g are connected to terminals 35 provided on the back of the numeric keypad 33. Terminal 35 is a numeric keypad 3
3 are arranged at the positions of L1 = L2 and L3 = L4, and the matrix wirings 35a to 35g are connected in the order shown in FIG. Reference numerals 36 and 37 denote recesses on the back surface of the numeric keypad 33.

FIG. 9 shows the touch panel computer main body 3.
It is an enlarged view of the numeric keypad attaching / detaching part of 1a. In FIG. 9, the terminal 40 is located at the center of the detachable portion,
2 and L3 = L4, a wiring 40 for electrically connecting to the matrix wirings 35a to 35g.
a to 40g are connected in the order shown in FIG. Also,
Reference numerals 38 and 39 denote push-button switches. When the numeric keypad 33 was attached to the attaching / detaching portion, one of the push-button switches 38 and 39 was fitted into the concave portions 36 and 37 on the back surface of the numeric keypad 33 and was not fitted. The push button switch is arranged so that the switch is turned ON by being pressed by the bottom of the numeric keypad 33. Note that L1 to L4 in FIG. 8 and L1 to L4 in FIG. 9 have substantially the same length.

With the above configuration, when the ten-key pad 33 is mounted in the direction shown in FIG. 6 (the direction in which the claw portion 34 is on the arrow key 14 side) for right-handed use, the matrix wiring 35a of the ten-key pad 33 The wiring 40a of the main body 31a is electrically connected, and the wiring 35b and the wiring 40b, the wiring 35c and the wiring 40c, the wiring 35d and the wiring 40d, the wiring 35e and the wiring 40e, the wiring 35f and the wiring 4
0f, the wiring 35g and the wiring 40g are electrically connected. Further, the push button switch 39 is turned on by the bottom surface of the numeric keypad 33. Push button switch 38
Is ON to fit into the concave portion 36 of the numeric keypad 33.
It does not become.

Also, a ten-key pad 33 for left-handed use.
Is mounted in the direction in which the claw portion 34 is on the opposite side of the arrow key 14, the matrix wiring 35a of the ten-key pad 33
And the wiring 40g of the main body 31a are electrically connected. Similarly, the wiring 35b is connected to the wiring 40f, and the wiring 35c is connected to the wiring 40g.
e, wiring 35d and wiring 40d, wiring 35e and wiring 40
c, wiring 35f and wiring 40b, wiring 35g and wiring 40a
Are electrically connected. Push button switch 3
8 is turned ON by the bottom surface of the numeric keypad 33. The push button switch 39 is provided in the recess 3 of the numeric keypad 33.
It does not turn on because it fits into 7.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a key detection method when the ten-key pad 33 is mounted. FIG. 10 (1) shows a case where the ten-key pad 33 is mounted for right-handed use, and FIG. This is an example. “0” in FIG. 10 indicates that there is no conduction with any other wiring, and “1” indicates that there is conduction with another wiring indicated by “1”.

FIG. 10A is applied when the push button switch 38 is OFF and the push button switch 39 is ON. For example, when the wiring 40d and the wiring 40e are conducting, it is determined that the key B0 “0” is pressed. FIG. 10B is applied when the push button switch 38 is ON and the push button switch 39 is OFF. For example, when the wiring 40c and the wiring 40d are conducting, it is determined that the key B0 “0” is pressed.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the appearance of another touch panel computer capable of converting the numeric keypad arrangement. The same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals. In FIG. 11, a touch panel computer main body 41a includes a liquid crystal panel 12 with a touch panel capable of touch input, a ten key pad 43 having ten keys 42 for performing data input such as numerical input, and arrow keys 14 for moving a cursor up, down, left and right. It is composed. Also, 41b is a terminal for electrically connecting the ten-key pad 43, 41c is a guide part for inserting and removing the ten-key pad 43, 44
Is a claw for attaching and detaching the ten-key pad 43, and 45 is a ten-key pad 4 in combination with the guide part 41c of the main body.
3 is a guide section for inserting and removing 3.

Also, reference numerals 46 and 47 denote concave portions, and the concave portions 36 and 37 of the ten-key pad 33 in FIG.
Respectively. Reference numerals 48 and 49 denote push button switches, which correspond to the push button switches 38 and 39 in FIG. 9, respectively. Numeric pad 4
Numeral 3 is detachable by sliding outward with respect to the main body 41a.
It can be rotated by 80 degrees and attached to the main body 41a.

In the touch panel computer shown in FIG. 11, keys can be detected in the same manner as in the examples shown in FIGS. 6 to 10, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In the configuration of FIGS. 6 to 11 described above, since there is no need to insert / remove the key top portion of the numeric keypad or attach a seal or the like,
Right-handed and left-handed can be easily changed.

In the above description, the numeric keypads 33 and 43 having the numeric keys 32 and 42 are divided into the main bodies 31a and 41.
Although the configuration example in which the numeric keypad is detachable from a is described, the numeric keypad may include an arrow key, or the entire numeric keypad including the arrow key may be replaced.
Hereinafter, the operation of the touch panel computer configured as described above will be described. First, screen display and tablet input will be described.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the screen display and the input of the tablet 25. FIG.
FIG. 12 shows a general display (conventional display) and coordinates (x, y) of a screen device capable of inputting from the tablet 25.
FIG. 12B shows a tablet screen which is rotated 180 degrees and displayed in the same manner as FIG. In the figure, W indicates the horizontal width of the screen, and H indicates the vertical length of the screen.

What is displayed at the coordinate position (x, y) in FIG. 12A is displayed at the coordinate position (X, Y) in FIG. Is done.
Each coordinate is obtained by the following equation (1). X = W−x, Y = H−y (1) When (X, Y) is pressed by a pen or the like, it is assumed that the coordinates (x, y) obtained by Expression (1) are pressed. Calculate and pass to normal processing.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing the algorithm of the ten keys and the screen display after the 180 ° rotation when the dominant hand changing process is performed, and is executed by the CPU 21. In the figure, S indicates each step of the flow. First, a dominant hand is selected in step S1. This selection is performed by the user selecting the right-handed / left-handed icon displayed on the display screen. Note that key input information for each user is registered in advance, and the user ID (voice recognition,
(Image recognition, fingerprint recognition, and the like may be used.) The right-handed / left-handed information may be called by input.

In the case of left-handed use, the numeric key 1 is set in step S2.
The roles of the 3 and the arrow keys 14 are assigned with reference to the “Left” column of the left / right hand table 30 in FIG. It functions as the ten key 13 and the arrow key 14 shown in FIG. Next, in step S3, the screen display is rotated by 180 degrees (that is, displayed at the (X, Y) coordinates), and in step S4, the input of the tablet 25 is rotated by 180 degrees, and this flow is terminated. In this case, in step S5, the roles of the numeric keypad 13 and the arrow key 14 are
The right hand table 30 is assigned with reference to the “Right” column. It functions as the ten key 13 and the arrow key 14 shown in FIG. Next, in step S6, the screen display is rotated by 180 degrees (that is, displayed at the (x, y) coordinates) to return to the original state.
Rotate by 80 degrees, return to the original position, and end the flow. Next, the horizontal reversal processing of the screen will be described.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a display example of an application screen of a pen computer, which is a screen example of a conventional application. If this screen is made symmetrical for each minimum unit of the window, the screen shown in FIG. 15 is obtained. FIG.
FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a display example of an application screen in which the display screen of FIG. 14 is horizontally inverted.

This symmetric processing is performed in one application unit. According to the display example of FIG. 14, the left / right inversion processing is performed in the “drawing software”, and as a result, FIG. 15 is obtained. To make it symmetrical for each minimum unit,
Characters and figures are not symmetrical. A simplified example of the application screen of FIG. 14 is an application screen display example of FIG. 17 is a screen display example of FIG. 17 in which the number 1016 (not actually displayed) of FIG. 16 is inverted left and right. The numbers 1011 to 1015 in FIG.
5 correspond to the respective display areas on the application screen. For example, the display portion with the number 1011 in FIG. 16 is displayed with the number 1111 in FIG. In this case, although the left and right sides are inverted as the minimum unit framework, the contents are not symmetrical, so that the display is also left-justified at the number 1111 like the number 1011. Number 1
012 is also bilaterally symmetric about the number 1016, and FIG.
7 is displayed in the number 1112. The number 1 in FIG.
17 and No. 1014, the tool box of “Pen” and the tool box of “Eraser” are the minimum units, and symmetrical processing is performed.
13, is displayed at the position of number 1114. The reference numeral 1015 in FIG.
15 is displayed. The graphic contents displayed in this way are not symmetrical.

Although the menu bar 103 in FIG. 14 does not clearly show the division of the minimum unit on the display, it is actually a button. [File (F)], [Edit (E)], [Color (C)], and [Display (V)]. Next, a method of calculating left-right inversion will be described.

All the Y coordinates on the screen in FIG. 15 are equal to the y coordinates in FIG. 14 (Yn = yn). When converting to the X coordinate, the following equation (2) is used. Here, (x1, y1) represents the upper right coordinates of this application. W represents the width of this application. Also, the upper left coordinate of each minimum unit window in FIG. 14 is (xn, yn), the window width of each minimum unit is wn, and the upper left coordinate of each minimum unit window in FIG. 15 is (Xn, Yn). .

Xn = x1 + (W- (xn-x1) -wn), Yn = yn = 2x1-xn + W-wn (2) When n = 1, X1 = 2x1-x1 + W-w1, Y1 = y1 n = 2 In this case, X2 = 2x1-x1 + W-w2, Y2 = y2 On the contrary, when the input of the tablet 25 is passed to the original application, the following equation (3) is used. xn = 2x1 + W-wn, yn = Yn (3)

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the algorithm of the left / right inversion processing of the application. First,
In step S11, the application is inverted left and right in units of the minimum window, and in step S12, an inversion button (see FIG. 15) is displayed. Next, in step S13, the input of the tablet 25 is reversed left and right in units of the minimum window, and the flow ends. Next, a method of displaying a pull-down menu will be described.

FIG. 19 is a view showing a display example of a pull-down menu in consideration of use by a right-handed person. FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an algorithm for displaying the pull-down menu, and shows an example in which the pull-down menu is displayed using the coordinates in FIG. 19 as an example.

First, in step S31, it is checked whether the x coordinate at the upper left of the pull-down menu does not extend beyond the window. That is, as shown in FIG. 19, the coordinates at the upper left of the screen are (x1, y1),
If the coordinates of the start position of (5) are (x5, y5) and the area is w5, it is determined whether or not x5 + w5-w6 <0, and x5 + w5−w6 <0.
If w5−w6 <0, it is determined that the x coordinate of the upper left of the pull-down menu falls within the window, and the coordinate of the upper left of the pull down menu is changed to (x5 + w5−w6,
y1 + h5).

In step S33, it is determined whether or not there is a nested pull-down menu. If there is a nested pull-down menu, in step S34 x5 + w5-w6-
It is determined whether or not w7 <W, and if x5 + w5-w6-w7 <W, the upper left coordinate of the pull-down menu is set to (x5 + w5-w6-w7, y1 + h5 + h7) in step S35, and the flow ends. In this case, a nested pull-down menu is displayed as shown in FIG.

In step S34, x5 + w5-w6-w7
If ≧ W, it means that it is not possible to display on the left side of the already displayed pull-down menu. In order to display on the right side, the upper left coordinate of the pull-down menu is set to (x5 + w5, y5 + h5 + h7) in step S36, and this flow is executed. finish. In this case, a nested pull-down menu is displayed as shown in FIG. On the other hand, in step S31, x5
When + w5-w6 ≧ 0, x in the upper left of the pull-down menu
It is determined that the coordinates do not fit in the window, and step S
At 37, set the upper right coordinate of the pull-down menu to (0, y1 +
h5) and the process proceeds to step S38.

In step S38, it is determined whether or not there is a nested pull-down menu. If there is a nested pull-down menu, the upper left coordinate of the pull-down menu is set to (x6, y1 + h5) in step S39, and the flow ends. . If there is no nested pull-down menu, this flow is terminated.

As described above, when the value does not fit in the window, the x coordinate is set to 0, a pull-down menu is displayed at the right end, and when a nested pull-down menu is displayed next, the left side of the already displayed pull-down menu is displayed. If it is not possible to display on the left side of the already displayed pull-down menu, it is displayed on the right side (step S36).
FIG. 21 shows an example of a pull-down menu in which the pull-down menu is displayed using the algorithm of the present flow and then flipped horizontally.

As described above, the touch panel computer 11 of the present embodiment includes a liquid crystal panel 12 with a touch panel capable of touch input, numeric keys 13 for data input such as numerical input, and arrows for moving a cursor up, down, left and right. A key 14 is provided.
And a left / right hand table 30 indicating the correspondence between the functions of the ten keys corresponding to the case where the main body 11a is used by rotating the main body 11a by 180 degrees. Key 14
Is used, the function information of each numeric keypad is read out from the left / right hand table 30 and the processing of associating the functions of the used numeric keypad is performed. By attaching a sticker or the like to the numeric keypad 13 (or removing and replacing the numeric keypad 13 or using the detachable keypads 32 and 42 shown in FIGS. 6 and 11), the numeric keypad can be used by a left-handed person. The 13 and the arrow keys 14 are on the dominant hand side, and the ten keys 13, the arrow keys 14, and the tablet 25 can be operated with the left hand without being particularly conscious and moving the hand largely.

In particular, in this embodiment, by displaying the window symmetrically in the application, the left-handed person becomes a shadow of the hand and the portion displayed on the left, which has been difficult to see, is always displayed on the right. And the position of the scroll bar is also on the left side, so that an effect of being easy to use can be obtained.

Further, by displaying the pull-down menu to the left for right-handed use, the right-handed person can use the pull-down menu without being shaded by the hand or the pen. Further, by inverting left and right for a left-handed person, a pull-down menu can be displayed on the right side, and an effect of being easy to use for a left-handed person can be obtained.

Although the above embodiment is an example in which the present invention is applied to a display screen of application software, the present invention can be applied to any device having a numeric keypad arranged adjacent to a side surface of a touch panel. is there. The computer according to the present embodiment is a PDA (Pers
onal Digital Assistant) or an extension function of a portable information terminal or a personal computer. Further, the types, numbers, connection methods, and the like of the respective circuit units constituting the touch panel computer, for example, ROM, RAM, keypad, and the like are not limited to the above-described embodiments.

[0059]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, when a left-handed person uses his / her left hand as a dominant hand,
The ten-key is on the dominant hand side, and the ten-key operation can be performed with the left hand without covering the touch panel with a hand or moving the hand largely.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of a touch panel computer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a touch panel computer according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a left-hand / right-hand table of the touch panel computer according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a correspondence relationship between a key arrangement of ten keys and arrow keys, which is a standard of the touch panel computer according to the embodiment of the present invention, and a left hand / right hand table 30;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the correspondence between the key arrangement of the ten keys and arrow keys and the left-hand / right-hand table after the main body of the touch panel computer according to the embodiment of the present invention is rotated 180 degrees (upside down).

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a touch panel computer capable of converting a ten-key array of the touch panel computer according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a numeric keypad of the touch panel computer according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a back surface of a numeric keypad of the touch panel computer according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a ten-key pad attaching / detaching portion of the touch panel computer main body of the touch panel computer according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a key detection method when the ten-key pad of the touch panel computer according to the embodiment of the present invention is mounted.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the appearance of another touch panel computer capable of converting the numeric keypad arrangement of the touch panel computer according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a relationship between screen display of a touch panel computer and input of a tablet according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an algorithm of a ten-key and a screen display after 180-degree rotation when a dominant hand change process of the touch panel computer according to the embodiment of the present invention is performed.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a display example of an application screen of the touch panel computer according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a display example of an application screen in which the display screen of the touch panel computer according to the embodiment of the present invention is horizontally inverted.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a simplified display example of an application screen of the touch panel computer according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a simplified display example of an application screen of the touch panel computer according to the embodiment of the present invention, which is inverted left and right.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an algorithm of a left-right inversion process of the application of the touch panel computer according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a display example of a pull-down menu in consideration of use by a right-handed person of the touch panel computer according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an algorithm for displaying a pull-down menu of the touch panel computer according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of a nested pull-down menu display on the application screen of the touch panel computer according to the embodiment of the present invention, which is reversed left and right.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of a pen computer including a conventional touch panel device with numeric keys.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a display example of a pull-down menu on an application screen of a conventional pen computer.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a display example of a pull-down menu on an application screen of a conventional pen computer.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Touch panel computer 11a, 31a, 41a Touch panel computer main body 12 Liquid crystal panel with a touch panel 13, 32, 42 Numeric keys 14 Arrow keys (up / down / left / right cursor keys) 21 CPU (control means) 22 ROM (storage means) 23 RAM 24 display part 25 Tablet 26 Key input unit 27 Storage device 30 Left / right hand table 33, 43 Numeric pad

Claims (2)

[Claims] In a touch panel computer including a touch panel and a numeric keypad arranged adjacent to a side surface of the touch panel, storage means for storing function information of each numeric keypad when the main body is used upside down, A touch panel computer comprising: a control unit that reads function information of each numeric keypad from the storage unit when the main unit is turned upside down and uses the numeric keypad, and associates the functions of the numeric keypads used. 2. A touch panel computer comprising a touch panel, a numeric keypad arranged vertically adjacent to a side surface of the touch panel, and up, down, left, and right cursor keys. Storage means for storing the function information of the cursor keys; and when using the numeric keypad or the cursor key by inverting the main body, reading the function information of each numeric keypad or the cursor key from the storage means, and using the numeric keypad or A touch panel computer comprising: control means for associating cursor key functions.